Phono preamp comparison/Pass,Herron,Avid

I would certainly prefer the Herron because of their size as they will easily fit in my cabinet or behind my speakers. But they must first sound great and given that I only have experience with the Pass SS INT-30 and that sounded fantastic except it was a bit low on power with the large Symphonic works and with the heavy percussive passages. The Pass Amps are large and heavy as are most amps the Herrons are small and lightweight in comparison and are more similar in size to most Class D Amplifiers. So I am skeptical as to how they can really control the speakers the way the beefier amps do.

Having said all that the VTPH-2 is a beautiful sounding unit and he is offering me an in home audition so if they are unsatisfactory I can send them back.

Chuck

I just recently got an XP-15, but the VTPH-2 would have been my first choice had I been using a friendlier preamp. My Spectral preamp has a very low input impedance - too low for a tube preamp such as the Herron to drive. Tube phono stages have a very difficult time driving a 15 kohm input impedance. I tried the Audio Research PH-7 also, and this couldn't do it either. Bass was just a mess with both. Both manufacturers advised against this match. I mention this point only to point out that some consideration should be given to the impedance match.

I thought the VTPH-2 easily beat the PH-7 in a friend's system. It was amazing there. Another friend just got one last week. He's thrilled with it.

Keith Herron may be the nicest guy in audio. A bunch of friends own his products. He has taken incredibly good care of them.

Of course Pass ain't chopped liver either. The XP-15 replaced my Xono and delivered a tremendous upgrade - possibly one of the biggest step changes of all my upgrades. It's an amazing component.

I think you would be delighted with either the Herron or the Pass, though I'd give Herron the nod due to the way Keith's provided upgrades to his components over the years.

Hey Kennyb-- I agree that the XP15 was also one of the biggest upgrades in my system. Of course I was replacing a PS audio GCPH so it was an exponential upgrade. I have no doubt the importance of the phono stage in any system. It's a real good place to spend money.

@teeshot--I bet you are having a blast at Axpona right now. Do fill us in about what you go with.

I completely agree with everything Swanny and Kennyb wrote. I went with the xp-15 mainly because I use a Lightspeed passive. Solid state anything normally has me running for the hills, but the Pass is really a pleasant surprise. That being said, if my linestage was still active I probably would have tried a Herron or a K&K maxxed out phono.

It's really tough to demo phono preamps because everything seems to be drop shipped from the manufacturers these days. I went through a similar process although with a Lyra Delos and I found that a used ASR Basis Exclusive was the best choice, a blue board model from 2006 being the best version at least my ears. I listened to the Herron and Pass (briefly) and an Art Audio Vinyl One. To my ear, the ASR brought out way more of the music in a way more natural way than the others. The ASRs seem to pop up now and then on Audiogon.